Roadway work area safety truck

ABSTRACT

Right and left safety module embodiments are designed to be installed in openings located midway along right and left sides of flatbed trucks. The modules include a standing platform and an intermediate platform. While the truck is being driven alongside a roadway work zone, a worker standing on the module&#39;s standing platform either 1) moves traffic delineators one at a time from the intermediate platform, and then places the delineators at spaced locations alongside the roadway work zone, or 2) removes traffic delineators one at a time from spaced locations alongside the roadway work zone, and then places the delineators onto the intermediate platform. Vertically movable safety rails and pivotal safety gates of the modules prevent falls from the modules of workers standing on the standing platform.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/896,776 filed Jun. 9, 2020, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/159,813, filed Oct. 15, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No.10,801,169, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/132,376, filed Sep. 15, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,556,545,which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/913,562, filed Mar. 6, 2018, now U.S. Pat. No. 10,319,227, which is acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/197,685,filed Jun. 29, 2016, now abandoned. U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/913,562 claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No.62/631,840, filed Feb. 18, 2018, and U.S. Provisional Patent ApplicationNo. 62/638,818, filed Mar. 5, 2018. U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/197,685 claims the benefit of the filing date of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 62/186,036, filed Jun. 29, 2015. The disclosuresof all the above-cited applications are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entireties as if fully set forth.

BACKGROUND

So-called “traffic delineators” (also known as “traffic delineationsafety markers”) are well known that are positioned alongside highwaywork zones to define lines of demarcation that separate the work zonesfrom highway lanes where traffic is maintained while construction andrepair work is underway inside the work zones.

Most traffic delineators in present-day use are formed from relativelylightweight plastic materials that have hollow, upstandingconfigurations that narrow as they extend upwardly, thereby permittingidentically configured delineators to be nested one atop another to formnested stacks.

One common configuration of present-day traffic delineator takes theform of such hollow barrel-like members as are disclosed in theseventeen patents that follow namely U.S. Pat. Nos. 8,794,172,6,786,673, 6,478,505, 6,019,542, 5,868,520, 5,234,280, 5,201,599,4,973,190, 4,710,053, 4,674,431, 4,083,033, 3,952,690, D486,089,D481,965, D243,075, D243,073 and D229,784, the disclosures of which areincorporated herein by reference.

The barrel-like traffic delineators disclosed in the seventeen patentslisted just above have closed, relatively small diameter upper endregions, with stepped diameter sidewalls that depend to relatively largediameter, open bottom end regions that permit identical ones of thebarrel-like delineators to be stacked one atop another to form nestedstacks that often are transported atop the flatbeds of commerciallyavailable flatbed trucks.

Another common configuration of present-day traffic delineator takes theform of such hollow, generally conical, stepped diameter structures asare disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,182,600, D406,543 and D338,631, thedisclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. Nested stacksof identical ones of these hollow, conical delineators (such the nestedstack shown in FIG. 3 of U.S. Pat. No. 6,182,600) are also commonlytransported atop the flatbeds of trucks of various types.

Still another common configuration of traffic delineator takes the formof such tapered, upwardly pointing conical structures (commonly called“traffic cones”), such as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,925,334,4,219,141 and 3,788,268, the disclosures of which are incorporatedherein by reference. These traffic cone delineators also can betransported in nested stacks, such as are shown in FIG. 4 of U.S. Pat.No. 4,925,334.

Although the tasks of placing even large, heavy andawkward-to-grasp-lift-and-move barrel-like traffic delineators alongsidehighway work zones, and of retrieving such traffic delineators fromalongside highway work zones tend to be relatively dangerousundertakings, these tasks can be rendered less dangerous:

1) If the worker who is performing these tasks is adequately guarded,restrained, and/or otherwise prevented from accidentally falling from avehicle that is moving the worker alongside a highway work zone wheretraffic delineators are being placed, or from which traffic delineatorsare being retrieved;

2) If a convenient-to-reach, near-knee-height, vehicle surface isprovided beside the worker where traffic delineators are located thatare to be grasped by the worker and then placed along-side the highwaywork zone, and onto which retrieved traffic delineators are to beplaced; and

3) If such body movements as are required of the worker while performingthe tasks explained just above are minimized, so the worker performingthese tasks is not required to significantly turn, twist and otherwiseexert his or her body while lifting, moving and placing even large,heavy and awkward-to-grasp-and-move barrel-like traffic delineators asthe vehicle on which the worker is standing moves alongside a highwaywork zone.

A proposal that was offered prior to the year 2000 that was intended toaddress at least some of the dangerous concerns that are associated withthe placement of traffic delineators alongside, and the retrieval oftraffic delineators from alongside highway work zones, is presented inU.S. Pat. No. 6,183,042 issued Feb. 6, 2001 to Albert Unrath, thedisclosure of which patent is incorporated herein by reference.

The Unrath proposal (as depicted in drawings of the Unrath patent)provides a stand-on platform located at the base of a relatively tallcompartment wherein a work-person is intended to stand, with awaist-high safety chain being draped across the front of the compartmentto retain the worker in the compartment especially when, for example, heor she leans forward to perform the tasks of putting down, and pickingup, traffic delineators to and from spaced locations alongside a highwaywork zone.

Although the Unrath patent attempts to address at least some aspects ofthe safety concerns associated with the placement and retrieval oftraffic delineators to and from spaced locations alongside a highwaywork zone, the Unrath proposal tends to raise more safety concerns thanit cures.

One significant safety concern presented by the Unrath proposal is thatthe only vehicle surface (as shown in the drawings of the Unrath patent)that can be utilized to support traffic delineators during the placementof, and the retrieval of traffic delineators alongside a highway workzone, is an above-waist-high vehicle surface that has only a smallsurface area located beside, and a larger surface area extending behind,where a worker stands while in the tall compartment provided by Unrath.

What Unrath's awkwardly-placed, above-waist-high vehicle surface (forsupporting traffic delineators) requires is that:

1) If a worker standing in the tall compartment of Unrath is torepetitively place large, relatively heavy and awkward to handlebarrel-like traffic delineators one after another at locations spacedalongside a highway work zone, he or she must first turn his or her bodymore than ninety degrees before reaching up to grasp, and then to lift,each barrel-like delineator, one-at-a-time from where it resides on theabove-waist-high vehicle surface—whereafter he or she must thenreverse-turn his or her body to move each newly grasped and raiseddelineator more than ninety degrees before then leaning over thewaist-high safety chain to lower the relatively large, heavy andawkward-to-handle barrel-like traffic delineator onto a newly chosenspaced location alongside a highway work zone—while, at the same time,the vehicle on which the worker is being carried, moves alongside thehighway work zone; and

2) If a worker standing in the tall compartment of Unrath is torepetitively retrieve the large, relatively heavy and awkward-to-handlebarrel-like traffic delineators from spaced locations alongside ahighway work zone, he or she must first lean over the waist-high safetychain of Unrath to grasp and lift each delineator up and over thewaist-high safety chain, and then the worker must turn his or her bodymore than ninety degrees while leaning back to turn and move eachdelineator that has been lifted over the safety chain to an even higherheight to overlie the above-waist-high vehicle surface—whereafter theworker must then lower each of the raised delineators, one at a time,onto the above-waist-high vehicle surface—before then turning back toface a next-to-be-retrieved traffic delineator that is located alongsidethe work zone being followed by the vehicle that carries the worker.

All of this repetitive lifting, lowering, leaning and turning of theworker's body unquestionably severely stresses the back and body of aworker who has been assigned to perform these various movements timeafter time. When a worker has had to perform these duties to placeand/or to retrieve hundreds of traffic delineators one-at-a time duringa typical workday, the worker's back and body has almost always becomepainful, and his or her muscles often have been strained.

Such activities performed repetitively from a relatively tallcompartment in a moving vehicle can also render a worker likely tobecome dizzy and/or to fall from the compartment that is guarded only bya waist-high safety chain draped across the front of the compartment.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to modular units that have left-side andright-side embodiments (which are mirror images of each other) that canbe incorporated into opposite left-side and right-side regions of theflatbeds of such trucks as are commonly used to transport and storebarrel-like traffic delineators that are to being placed at spacedlocations alongside highway work zones, and that are being retrievedfrom spaced locations alongside highway work zones.

Because barrel-like traffic delineators are widely used in many regionsof the United States, and because barrel-like traffic delineators arethe type of traffic delineators that are almost always more sizable andmore awkward to handle than are traffic delineators of other types andconfigurations, the modular units of the present invention areespecially designed to safeguard workers who are tasked to place and/orto retrieve even the large, relatively heavy, and oftenawkward-to-handle barrel-like traffic delineators that are in wide usethroughout the United States.

Because many types of flat-bed trucks are in use to move workersalongside highway work zones to place and retrieve traffic delineators,such modular units as embody the preferred practice of the presentinvention are configured to be easily incorporated into right and leftsides of a wide variety of the flatbeds of such trucks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will hereinafter be described in conjunction withthe appended drawing figures wherein like numerals denote like elements.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the left side (i.e., the driver'sside) of a conventional, commercially available, flatbed truck that isprovided with an over-cab rack (such as is disclosed in the previouslyreferenced provisional application) for transporting a plurality ofhorizontally extending nested stacks of barrel-like traffic delineationsafety markers, with the view also showing 1) a commercially availablecrash attenuator device extending rearwardly from the truck, 2) anelectronic warning sign board carried at the rear of the flatbed of thetruck that is shown in a raised position, and 3) a left-side moduleembodying one form of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the right side of the truck of FIG. 1 ,with the electronic sign board lowered to an out-of-view position, withthe view showing a right-side module that is a mirror-image reversal ofthe left-side module depicted in FIG. 1 ;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of a more preferredform of the right-side module, with the view showing all but two of themodule's movable components in their closed and/or lowered positions;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the right-side module;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view showing the right-side module withmany of the module's front components removed so that other componentsof the module can be seen;

FIG. 6 is a right end elevational view of the right-side module;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view, on the same enlarged scale as FIG. 3 , ofa left-side module that is a mirror-image-reversal of the right-sidemodule;

FIG. 8 is a front elevational view of the left-side module;

FIG. 9 is another front elevational view of the left-side module, butwith many of the front components of the module removed so that othercomponents of the module can be seen;

FIG. 10 is a right end elevational view of the left-side module;

FIG. 11 is yet another perspective view of the right-side module, butwith certain of the movable components of the right-side module moved toopen positions;

FIG. 12 is a front elevational view of the right-side module, withbroken lines depicting alternate positions of some of the movablecomponents of the module;

FIG. 13 is a top plan view of the right-side module with some componentsremoved, and with broken lines depicting alternate positions of othercomponents; and

FIG. 14 is a right-end elevational view similar to FIG. 6 , withselected components pivoted to open positions.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The ensuing detailed description provides preferred exemplaryembodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability,or configuration of the invention. Rather, the ensuing detaileddescription of the preferred exemplary embodiments will provide thoseskilled in the art with an enabling description for implementing thepreferred exemplary embodiments of the invention. It being understoodthat various changes may be made in the function and arrangement ofelements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention,as set forth in the appended claims.

To aid in describing the invention, directional terms are used in thespecification and claims to describe portions of the present invention(e.g., upper, lower, left, right, etc.). These directional definitionsare merely intended to assist in describing and claiming the inventionand are not intended to limit the invention in any way. In addition,reference numerals that are introduced in the specification inassociation with a drawing figure may be repeated in one or moresubsequent figures without additional description in the specificationin order to provide context for other features.

Referring to the left-side view provided by FIG. 1 , and the right-sideview provided by FIG. 2 , a conventional, commercially available flatbedtruck is indicated generally by the reference numeral 100. The truck 100has tandem rear wheels that carry rear tires 101, and steerable frontwheels that carry front tires 102. The truck 100 also has a conventionalcab 110, which has the usual right-side and left-side cab access doors,that are indicated by the numeral 120 in each of FIGS. 1 and 2 . Whilethe principles of the invention have been described above in connectionwith preferred embodiments, it is to be clearly understood that thisdescription is made only by way of example and not as a limitation ofthe scope of the invention.

Overview of the Truck 100:

In overview, and continuing to refer to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the truck 100can be seen to also have a conventional flatbed 130 for hauling variousforms of cargo (not shown) that often includes a supply of suchbarrel-like traffic delineators as are disclosed in FIG. 7 of thereferenced provisional application.

An optional storage compartment 140 is provided at the rear of theflatbed 130. FIG. 1 also shows an optional, rearwardly facing,electronic sign board 150 located at the rear of the flatbed 130 of thetruck 100. In FIG. 1 the sign board 150 is shown in an elevated positionthat permits what is displayed on the rearwardly-facing sign board to beviewed by motorists who approach the truck 100 from behind the truck100. In FIG. 2 , the electronic sign board 150 is not seen because thesign board has been lowered to an out-of-view storage position that ishidden, at least in part, by the optional storage compartment 140.

Referring still to FIGS. 1 and 2 , an optional, commercially availablecrash attenuator unit 160 is shown connected to, and extendingrearwardly from, the rear of the truck 100. When the sign board 150shown in FIG. 1 is lowered to an out-of-view storage position (where theelectronic sign board 150 cannot be seen, as in FIG. 2 ), the electronicsign board 150 is then moved out of the path of travel that is followedby components of the crash attenuator unit 160 when components of thecrash attenuator unit 160 fold upwardly and forwardly to a transportposition (not shown by the drawings of the present document) wherecomponents of the crash attenuator unit 160 overlie not only theoptional storage compartment 140 but also a rear part of the flatbed 130of the truck 100.

One embodiment of the crash attenuator unit 160 is depicted in muchgreater detail in FIG. 1 of U.S. Pat. No. 9,399,8454. How components ofthe crash attenuator 160 can fold both upwardly and forwardly to thetransport position mentioned just above is shown in FIGS. 1A-1B of U.S.Pat. No. 8,322,945. The disclosures of both of these patents areincorporated by reference.

Returning, once again, to FIGS. 1 and 2 , it can be seen that anoptional rack structure 170 overlies the cab 110 of the truck 100. Thisrack structure 170 is the subject of the previously referencedprovisional application that was filed by the inventors named in thepresent application.

At substantially identical left-side and right-side locations justforward of the rear tires 101 of the truck 100, are left-side andright-side modules 190L and 190R, respectively, that are the subject ofthe present application. As will be explained, the modules 190L and 190Rare provided to assist workers to safely place, and to safely retrieve,traffic delineators to and from spaced locations alongside highway workzones as the truck 100 moves alongside the work zones while carrying aworker in one of the compartments defined by one of the modules190L/190R, as will be explained.

The left-side and right-side modules 190L/190R shown in FIGS. 1 and 2are principally depicted to illustrate typical locations on oppositesides of a conventional flatbed truck 100 where such modules as embodythe present invention can be positioned, and put to use. Accordingly,any differences in appearance between the modules 190L/190R shown inFIGS. 1 and 2 and the preferred forms of the modules 190L/190R shown inthe remainder of the drawing views of the application are to be ignored.

Overview of the Over-Cab Rack Structure 170:

As shown in each of FIGS. 1 and 2 of the present application:

The rack structure 170 includes three identical rack assemblies 171,172, 173 that extend in parallel, side-by-side, relationship, with eachof the rack assemblies including a pair of straight, parallel-extending,rails that are indicated by the numerals 181, 182, 183, respectively.

Each of the pairs of rails 181, 182, 183 slidably supports one of threeidentically configured hoop assemblies 191, 192, 193, respectively, thatcan be slid freely back and forth along an associated pair of theelongate rails 181, 182, 183, respectively.

Each of the barrel racks 171, 172, 173 is configured to receive aseparate nested stack of barrel-like traffic delineators, with a narrowend region of an uppermost one of the barrel-like traffic delineators ofeach nested stack being inserted into an associated one of the hoopassemblies 191, 192, 193, and with the largest end regions of each ofthe barrel-like traffic delineators of the associated nested stack ofdelineators being supported by an associated pair of the elongate rails181, 182, 183—as is explained in connection with FIG. 7 of thereferenced provisional application.

By this arrangement, a large number of barrel-like traffic delineatorscan be compactly stored and transported in the form of three nestedstacks of the barrel-like traffic delineators that extend side-by-side,with each of the nested stacks being supported by one of the hoopassemblies 191, 192, 193, and by an associated pair of the elongaterails 181, 182, 183, respectively, of the rack structure 170—whichleaves much, if not most, of the flatbed 130 of the truck 100 open andavailable for use by workers who move about on the surface of theflatbed 130 of the truck 100 as they feed traffic delineators into, andremove traffic delineators from, the over-cab rack structure 170.

As can be seen in one or the other of FIG. 1 or 2 , the rack structure170 is rendered structurally sound by virtue of the pairs of rails 181,182, 183 having their opposite end regions welded to identicallyconfigured front and rear rectangular structures 310, 320, respectively,that are provided at opposite front and rear end regions of the rackstructure 170. Moreover, the rack structure 170 is strengthened byelongate members 191, 192, 193 that overlie the barrel racks 171, 172,173, respectively. The elongate members 191, 192, 193 help to retainnested stacks of delineators in place in each of the barrel racks 171,172, 173, respectively—it being noted that the elongate members 191,192, 193 have their opposite front and rear end regions welded to thefront and rear rectangular structures 310, 320, respectively.

To support the rack structure 170 atop the cab 110 of the truck 100, therack structure 170 is also provided with a pair of forwardly-rearwardlyextending tubular members 351, 352 that extend between the front andrear rectangular structures 310, 320 at locations above the left andright sides, respectively, of the cab 110 of the truck 100. Also, leftand right upwardly extending supports 361, 362 are provided that connectwith a front bumper 365 of the truck 100, and with the left and righttubular members 351, 352, respectively. Additionally, left and rightupwardly extending supports 371, 372 are provided that connect with rearregions of the left and right tubular members 351, 352, respectively. Bythis arrangement, the rack structure 170 is securely supported as itoverlies the cab 110 of the truck 100.

Overview of the Modules 190L/190R:

To simply the description that follows, when corresponding left-side andright-side components XXXL and XXXR are being referred to, a simplifiedstatement such as “the components XXXL/XXXR” is often be used. Thiseliminates the need to use a longer, more formal statement such as “theleft-side and right-side components XXXL and XXXR, respectively, thatcorrespond to each other.”

Although this section of the present application is principally intendedto refer to the left-side module 190L as depicted in FIG. 1 , and to theright-side module 190R as depicted in FIG. 2 , what is said in thissection of the application is applicable to the preferred forms of theleft-side module 190L and the right-side module 190R that are shown invarious ones of FIGS. 3-14 .

As can be seen in the left-side view provided by FIG. 1 , and theright-side view provided by FIG. 2 , each of the modules 190L/190R hasboth a lower platform (that is indicated generally by an associated oneof the numerals 191L/191R), and an upper platform (that is indicatedgenerally by an associated one of the numerals 192L/192R).

1) It is important, for reasons of safety, that the modules 190L/190RAND their lower platforms 191L/191R AND their upper platforms 192L/192have at least certain minimum dimensions that permit the modules andtheir lower and upper platforms to safely serve their intended purposes.In preferred practice, the modules 190L/190R and their lower and upperplatforms 191L/191R and 192L/192R, respectively, are at leastdimensionally sized in the following ways:

2) Each of the modules 190L/190R preferably have widths of no less thanabout 60 inches, as measured from left to right, and preferably havedepths of at least 24 inches deep, as measured from front to rear.

3) Each of the lower platforms 191L/191R is preferably no less thanabout 30 inches wide, as measured from left to right, and is preferablyno less than about 24 inches deep, as measured from front to rear.

4) Each of the upper platforms 192L/192R is preferably no less thanabout 30 inches wide, as measured from left to right, and is preferablyno less than about 24 inches deep, as measured from front to rear.

Each of the upper platforms 192L/192R is preferably located at a heightthat is approximately eighteen inches above the height of the associatedone of the two lower platforms 191L/191R—which is a height that selectedto be substantially equal to, or slightly lower than, the knee heightsof average workers who will stand on one of the lower platforms191L/191R while in one of the compartments 195L/195R provided by anassociated one of the modules 190L/190R. These upper level platformheights have been found to render it relatively easy for a workerstanding in one of the compartments 195L/195R to grasp and move evenlarge, heavy-and-awkward-to-grasp-and-move barrel-like trafficdelineators one at a time from one of the upper platforms 192L/192R ontoa highway surface;

A. for a worker standing in one of the compartments 195L/195R to graspand place one of the large, heavy-and-awkward-to-grasp-and-to-placebarrel-like traffic delineators that have been retrieved one at a timefrom a highway surface onto one of the upper level platforms 192L/192R;and

B. for a worker who occasionally needs to transition up or down betweenone of the lower level platforms 191R/191L and a nearby portion of theflatbed 130 of the truck 100, to use one of upper level platforms192L/192R as a step surface while moving between one of the lower levelsurfaces 191L/191R and the flatbed surface 130 of the truck 100.

5) As can also be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2 , the upper level platforms192L/192R are located atop tool boxes 200L/200R that also formcomponents of each of the modules 190L/190R. The tool boxes 200L/200Rhave pivotally mounted front doors 202L/202R that are each provided witha suitably configured latch assembly 204L/204R. When one of the latchassemblies 204L/204R is operated to unlatch an associated one of thefront doors 202L/202R, the unlatched front door is permitted to pivotdownwardly to an open position such as is depicted in FIG. 11 .

Housings that form the opposed, upstanding side walls, and the rearwalls of each of the modules 190L/190R are best shown in various ones ofFIGS. 3, 5-6 and FIGS. 7, 9-10 , where these housings are indicatedgenerally by the numerals 1050L/1050R.

How the Modules 190L/190R are Ordinarily Put to Use:

During normal placement and retrieval of traffic delineators to and fromhighway surfaces alongside which trucks 100 such as are shown in FIGS. 1and 2 are being driven so that workers carried on the flatbed 130 and onone of the lower level platforms 191L/191R of an associated one of themodules 190L/190R can work in harmony to take advantage of the factsthat:

1) The upper level platforms 192L/192R provide sizeable support surfaceswhere barrel-like traffic delineators can be temporarily placed, one ata time, while these typically cumbersome, relatively large, heavy andawkward-to-grasp-and-move delineators are in the process of being movedup or down, to and from the flatbed 130 of the truck 100 (while thetruck 100 that is carrying at least one worker on the truck's flatbed130, and one worker on standing one of the lower level platforms191L/191R) moves alongside a highway work zone where barrel-like trafficdelineators are either to be put down at spaced locations alongside thehighway work zone, or are to be picked up from spaced locationsalongside the highway work zone.

2) When the delineators are to be placed on a highway road surface atspaced locations alongside a highway work zone, the delineators arefirst moved, one at a time, (by a worker who is standing on the flatbed130 of the truck 100) from the flatbed 130 of the truck 100 to one ofthe upper level platforms 192L/192R of one of the modules 190L/190R, andthen the delineators are moved, one at a time, by a worker who isstanding on an associated one of the lower level platforms 191L/191Ronto the highway road surface along-side which the truck 100 is moving.

3) When delineators are to be retrieved and collected from spacedlocations alongside a highway work zone, a worker standing on one of thelower level platforms 191L/191R lifts each of the delineators, one at atime, from the highway surface, and places the retrieved delineators,one at a time, onto an associated one of the upper level platforms192L/192R, whereafter another worker who is standing on the flatbed 190of the truck 100 lifts each of the delineators, one at a time, from theupper level platform 192L/192R and places the delineator on the flatbedof the truck 100, whereafter the barrel-like delineators may be insertedinto the over-cab rack 170.

Among the significant advantages that are provided by the modules190L/190R is that relatively little repetitive lifting, lowering,twisting and turning needs to be performed by the bodies of either ofthe workers who are standing on the flatbed 130 of the truck 100, or ona lower level platform 191L/191R of one of the modules 190L/190R whileperforming such activities as are explained just above. The presence andthe use that is made of the sizable upper level platforms 192L/192Rminimizes the amount of lifting and lowering of traffic delineators thateach of these workers must perform and the location of the sizeableupper level platforms 192L/192R at a near knee height minimizes theamount of lifting, twisting and turning that a worker who is standing onone of the lower level platforms 191L/191R must perform while placingretrieved traffic delineators onto, and while taking traffic delineatorsfrom one of the two upper level platforms 192L/192R for placementalongside a highway work zone.

Turning to the Modules 190L/190R as Shown in FIGS. 3-14 :

Before turning to the preferred forms of the modules 190L/190R that areshown in various ones of FIGS. 3-14 ), it should first be noted that:

1) FIGS. 3-5 and FIGS. 11-14 show components and features of a preferredform of the right-side module 190R, wherein—

-   -   FIGS. 3 and 4 show many of the movable components of the        right-side module 190R in their “closed” and/or “lowered”        positions, whereas    -   FIG. 11 shows most of the movable components of the module 190R        in their “open” and/or “raised” positions, and

2) FIGS. 6-10 show components and features of a preferred form of theleft-side module 190L—it being understood that the movable components ofthe left-side module 190L have appearances that are mirror imagereversals of corresponding ones of the movable components of theright-side module 190R, as depicted in FIGS. 3-5 and 11-14 .

Movable Components of the Modules 190L/190R:

Each of the right-side and left-side modules 190R/190L is provided witha corresponding set of pivotally and slidably movable components thatprovide access to various regions of the modules 190L/190R, as will nowbe explained:

1) Pivotally mounted gates 1000L/1000R that preferably each have afence-like appearance are provided atop each of the right-side andleft-side modules 190L/190R. These fence-like, pivotally mounted gates1000L/1000R are pivotally connected to upstanding components 1001L/1001R(best shown in FIGS. 3-4 and 7-8 ) and can pivot from closed positionsbest shown in FIGS. 3-4 and 7-8 , to open positions (such as is shown inFIG. 12 ) where the gates 1000L/1000R prefer-ably extend closelyalongside other fence-like guards that (as can be seen in FIGS. 1 and 2) extend along opposite right and left sides of the flatbed 130 atlocations just forwardly of, and just rearwardly of, the modules190L/190R.

Fully open positions of the right-side fence-like gates 1000R are shownin FIG. 12 . Fully open positions of the left-side fence-like gates1000L will be understood to have appearances that are mirror images ofthe right-side fence-like gates 1000R shown in FIG. 12 .

Partially open positions of the right-side fence-like gates 1000R areshown in FIG. 11 . Corresponding partially open positions of theleft-side fence-like gates 1000L will be understood to have appearancesthat are mirror images of the right-side fence-like gates 1000R shown inFIG. 11 .

Latch assemblies that are indicated generally by the numerals1002L/1002R in FIGS. 3-4 and 7-8 are provided to releasably retain theright-side and left-side fence-like gates 1000L/1000R in their closedpositions.

2) Depending extensions 1005L/1005R are provided on only one of each ofthe left-side and right-side fence-like gates 1000R/1000L.

A right-side fence-like gate 1000R that is provided with a dependingextension 1005R is best shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 . When closed, theright-side depending extension 1005R restricts access to, and visuallyblocks a view of, a region of the right-side module 190R that overliesthe upper platform 192R of the right-side module 190R.

A left-side fence-like gate 1000L that is provided with a dependingextension 1005L (that corresponds to the right side depending extension1005R) is best shown in FIG. 8 . As can be seen in FIG. 8 , when closed,the depending extension 1005L restricts access to, and visually blocks aview of, a region of the left-side module 190L that overlies the upperplatform 192L of the left-side module 190L.

In the left-side view of FIG. 7 , and in the right-side view of FIG. 3 ,depending extensions 1005L/1005R are shown that differ slightly inappearance from the appearances of the depending extensions 1005L/1005Rshown in FIGS. 11-12 and 8 , respectively. However, the dependingextensions 1005L/1005R that are shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 perform insubstantially the same manner as the depending extensions 1005L/1005Rthat are shown in FIGS. 11-12 and 8 , respectively, to restrict accessto, and to visually block views of, regions located just above the upperplatforms that are designated by the numerals 192L/192R, when thefence-like gates 1000L/1000R that carry the left-side and right-sidedepending extensions 1005L/1005R are moved to closed positions by thegates 1000L/1000R that carry these left-side and right-side dependingextensions.

3) Referring to FIGS. 3 and 4 , it can be seen that, located just behindthe fence-like gates 1000R of the right-side module 190R are a pair ofupwardly opening platform-like doors 1010R that can pivot from closedpositions (wherein the platform-like doors 1010R provide upper surfacesthat are substantially level with the upper surface of the flatbed 130of the truck), to open positions wherein the platform-like doors 1010Rextend substantially vertically and are latchingly retained by adjacentones of the upstanding members 1010R (an example of which is shown inFIG. 14 ).

Corresponding platform-like doors 1010L of the left-side module 190L areshown in FIGS. 7 and 8 . The left-side platform-like doors 1010R behavein the same way as the right-side platform-like doors 1010R, and haveappearances that are mirror-image reversals of the right-sideplatform-like doors 1010R.

Closed positions of the platform-like doors 1010R are shown by solidlines in FIG. 12 , while partially open positions of the platform-likedoors 1010R are shown by solid lines in FIGS. 3, 4 and 11 , and areindicated by broken lines in FIG. 12 .

Flat surface plates 193R/193L are shown in FIGS. 3 and 7 to which theplatform-like doors 1010R and 1010L are pivotally connected,respectively.

Each of the platform-like doors 1010R/1010L that overlies one of theupper level platforms 192L/192R pivotally carries a depending support1011R/1011L that extends substantially vertically when the associatedplatform-like door 1010R/1010L is closed to thereby support theassociated platform-like doors 1010R/1010L in their fully closedpositions.

4) Structurally strong guard assemblies 1020L/1020R extend in front ofthe compartments 195L/195R of the modules 190L/190R to securely retainworkers within the compartments 195L/195R while performing such tasks asare explained above to place and retrieve barrel-like delineators to andfrom spaced locations alongside a highway work zone.

The tubular guard assemblies 1020L/1020R can be unlatched and pivotedfrom the closed positions that are shown in FIGS. 3-4 and 7-8 (and bysolid lines in FIG. 12 ), to an unlatched and fully open positions (anexample of which is shown by broken lines in FIG. 12 ). Also, a tubularcomponent 1022L/1022R of each of the guard assemblies 1020L/1020R can beunlatched and slid upwardly to any of a progression oflatchingly-retained heights, with a full-height position of one of thetubular components 1022L/1022R being shown in FIG. 11 .

Latch assemblies that are provided to releasably retain the tubularguard assemblies 1022L/1022R in their raised and lowered positions arebest shown in FIGS. 4 and 8 , where these latch assemblies are indicatedby the numerals 1024L/1024R, respectively.

The various movable components of the modules 190L/190R that areenumerated above provide access to various regions of the modules190L/190R to permit work-persons to enter and leave various regions ofthe modules 190L/190R as may be needed, and to provide the latchabletubular guard components 1022L/1022R at heights that are appropriate forworkers of different heights to be properly retained within thecompartments 195L/195R of the modules 190L/190R.

Although the invention has been described in a preferred form withparticularity, it is understood that the present disclosure of thepreferred form has been made only by way of example, and that numerouschanges in the details of construction and the combination andarrangement of parts may be resorted to without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed:
 1. A module for attachment to a flat bed of a truck forassisting workpersons to place barrel-like traffic delineators onto, andto retrieve barrel-like traffic delineators from highway surfaces,comprising a housing that encloses and supports a lower level platformat the bottom of a compartment defined by the housing wherein aworkperson can comfortably stand, and an upper level platform locatedbeside the compartment on which barrel-like traffic delineators can betemporarily positioned that are delivered one at a time from the flatbed of the truck for being placed on a highway surface by a workpersonstanding in the compartment, and on which barrel-like trafficdelineators can be placed, one at a time, after being retrieved from thehighway surface by a workperson standing in the compartment.
 2. Themodule of claim 1 that has left-side and right-side embodiments thatprovide appearances that are mirror-image reversals of each other. 3.The module of claim 2 wherein each of the left-side and right-sideembodiments have fence-like gates that each extend along and above adifferent one of the lower level and upper level platforms.
 4. Themodule of claim 2 wherein each of the left-side and right-sideembodiments have a platform-like door that can overlie a different oneof the lower level and upper level platforms.
 5. The module of claim 1additionally including a structurally strong guard assembly with anupwardly movable tubular component that can be positioned at a varietyof releasably latchable heights at locations in front of a workpersonstanding in the compartment of the module.